


Baby, All Through the Night

by enigma731



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Hilarity Ensues, Peter explains Earth holidays, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 04:58:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13674726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigma731/pseuds/enigma731
Summary: Peter nods sagely. “So, Valentine was a -- a guy. Valentine’sfor his day. He was -- magic, I guess? I mean, now I’m pretty sure he was just a myth, or maybe an alien. All the pictures I ever saw, he had wings. And a bow, which he used to shoot people with love arrows.”“Love arrows?” Gamora echoes incredulously.“Yeah,” Peter insists. “Like, Valentine would shoot people, and hit them with arrows, but instead of getting hurt, they’d fall in love.”





	Baby, All Through the Night

What Gamora finds in the bedroom both is and is not a surprise.

She knew Peter was up to something, of course, because Peter is not subtle. He’s been grinning all day in the way that he thinks is secretive, plus he told her a completely unconvincing lie about needing to do unpleasant maintenance on their quarters in order to get rid of her for a while after dinner. And then there’s the trail of red and pink pokeroot leaves leading the way down the hall, and the sound of music she’s certain is coming from the Zune.

She’s come to expect grand gestures from Peter -- from the start, really, not just since they’ve been _together_ in an official capacity, though it’s certainly increased in the months since then. Thanos always had his own flair for the dramatic, of course, but it was basically the polar opposite of everything about Peter. If she didn’t live with the reality of him, she wouldn’t think it possible for any one person to radiate such light, generosity, and just plain fun.

She follows the leaves as though she actually needs the direction, though of course she doesn’t, could probably find her way through the Quadrant blindfolded these days. By the time she reaches the door of their quarters, her heart is doing a ridiculous little flip-flop of anticipation, and she’s grinning like an idiot. Lately, she’s finding herself increasingly reluctant to hide reactions like this, especially knowing it’s exactly what he’s intended.

Gamora pauses for a moment with her ear to the door, listening to the song, which is about making love, because of course it is. She can also hear Peter’s heart beating, if she focuses, and the cadence of his breathing, both a bit faster than she’s accustomed to. Good, then. He’s feeling the excitement of this just as much as she is.

She opens the door slowly, just far enough to slip inside, because this feels like a private moment even though there’s nobody else around.

As it turns out, it’s a good decision.

Peter is perched on the edge of the bed, looking expectantly in her direction. The lights are turned down about as low as possible without creating full darkness, but she sees right away that he isn’t wearing a shirt. He isn’t wearing pants, either, she realizes as she takes a couple steps closer, and -- yep, completely naked, she confirms as she takes in the curve of one exposed hipbone behind the oddly shaped package he’s holding over his lap.

“Hi,” he says finally, as she comes to stand in front of him. He opens his mouth as though he’s about to say something else, then closes it again, flushing a bit.

“How did the maintenance go?” asks Gamora, arching an eyebrow. “You get it all done?”

He nods with an exaggerated eagerness. “Yup.”

“Really?” says Gamora, feigning confusion. “Because it all looks pretty much the same in here. Including your laundry on the floor.”

She’s teasing affectionately -- mostly -- but she still feels vindicated by the way that Peter grimaces, by the way that his blush spreads down his chest. “Yeah, uh. It wasn’t laundry maintenance.”

“Clearly,” she says pointedly, then decides to take pity on him, mainly because she’s looking forward to this surprise just as much as she thinks he is. She nods toward the box he’s still holding. “What do you have there?”

He brightens at that, springing to his feet, which most definitely, well, _enhances_ her view. And yet, because he’s Peter, he does his utmost to look casual. “What, this? This is -- Happy Valentine’s day!”

She gives him a quizzical look. “That is a ‘happy Valentine’s day’?”

He laughs, a sound equal parts nervous and delighted. “No. That is a heart-shaped box of chocolates, which is what you give to your girlfriend on Valentine’s day.” His expression resolves into the goofy grin she’s noticed always follows his use of the word _girlfriend._

Gamora shakes her head, because she understood about two whole words out of that entire sentence. But what she _does_ know is that Peter only gets like this when he’s really excited to share something with her, most likely related to one of his Terran traditions.

She takes the box, because he’s holding it out expectantly, then steps past him to sit on the edge of the bed. When she notices that he’s still standing there looking vaguely lost, she pats the spot beside her, feeling the mattress dip with his weight. He’s still flushed, looking a bit chagrined at the fact that he’s very conspicuously naked, having given up his only cover, despite that obviously having been his intention all along. She’s going to have to save him from himself again, Gamora realizes, not that she ever really minds occupying that space in their relationship. 

She leans over and kisses him on the cheek lightly, acutely aware of how hot his skin feels under her lips. It takes her a moment to figure out where to begin. “So -- What is a Valentine’s and why does it have a day?”

He perks up immediately at the opportunity to explain, the way he always has. “Okay, so. Valentine’s day is a holiday on Earth, which I’m pretty sure is like -- “ He glances at the holo panel on the wall that displays the date and time, as if it can show him that information for everywhere in the galaxy simultaneously. “It’s basically today. I think.”

Gamora nods, fingers playing idly along the edge of the box, which she realizes is constructed from scraps of material he must have found around the ship, then painted bright red. “All right, so that’s what we’re celebrating. What is it?”

He nods sagely. “Right. So, Valentine was a -- a guy. Valen _tine’s_ for his day. He was -- magic, I guess? I mean, now I’m pretty sure he was just a myth, or maybe an alien. All the pictures I ever saw, he had wings. And a bow, which he used to shoot people with love arrows.”

“ _Love arrows_?” Gamora echoes incredulously. 

“Yeah,” Peter insists. “Like, Valentine would shoot people, and hit them with arrows, but instead of getting hurt, they’d fall in love.”

“So a love weapon?” Her skepticism is growing, though he has acknowledged this story’s basis in mythology and, well, she can understand love and deadly objects going together, she supposes.

“Exactly!” Peter says delightedly. “Actually, I guess you could say that Valentine was a love warrior. A warrior for love? Whatever. He loved love, is what I’m saying.”

“Then the celebration of Valentine is -- a celebration of love?” she guesses.

“You got it!” says Peter, practically glowing with pride.

Gamora nods, fairly certain she at least grasps the basics of the holiday now. She turns her attention to the strange box that’s still balanced in her lap. Heart-shaped, he’d called it, unless she’s misunderstood something. “Tell me about this tradition.”

“Oh!” says Peter, as though he’s gotten so deep into thinking about the mythical Valentine and love warfare that he’s forgotten the rest of his own surprise. “Right. That is a heart-shaped box of--”

“ _Heart_ as in the organ in your chest?” Gamora interrupts, because apparently she hasn’t misunderstood the words, they just don’t make any sense.

Peter nods. “Yeah. It’s a -- symbol of love on Earth. Like, on Earth, people would say that my heart is yours, so...I’m giving it to you, filled with candy. Or something.”

She furrows her brow, taking this in. It isn’t that she dislikes the idea of one of his vital organs being _hers_ , but…. “Why, though? Love comes from your nervous system, doesn’t it? And unless I am misremembering my research, the Terran heart is not shaped like this.”

Peter blinks. “Wait. You did _research_ on the Terran body? When?”

She gives him a sly smile, thinking she might be embarrassed by this, were he not currently sitting here naked and gaping at her like a fool. “Back when I first acknowledged that I found you attractive. I wanted to know if we would be compatible, hypothetically.”

His blush had faded, but now it’s back in full force and then some. He spends a minute choking on air before continuing. “So, yeah, it’s inaccurate, but it’s like -- an artistic representation. And it represents love because when you say things like _that_ , it makes me feel all fluttery right here.” He puts his palm over his actual heart and flashes her his most charming grin.

Gamora smiles back, accepting that explanation happily. “There’s one more tradition you haven’t explained to me.”

He waggles an eyebrow at her. “What’s that?”

She sets the box of candy to the side, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially. “Why are you naked?”

“Ah,” he breathes, feigning nonchalance. “Well, that’s the other part of Valentine’s day. How are we gonna celebrate our love with our clothes on?”

“Excellent point,” says Gamora. She pulls her shirt over her head and meets his eyes. “I think I like this holiday.”

Then she presses him back into the pillows, kissing him deeply.


End file.
